Kent County and Dover officials assessing damages and flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2012 at 6:08 PMOct 30, 2012 at 8:28 PM

Officials from the city of Dover and Kent County are in the early stages of assessing storm damage and flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy from Monday to Tuesday. Sandy dumped 8 to 10 inches of rain in several parts of the state of Delaware.

By Antonio Prado, Staff Writer

City of Dover and Kent County officials began assessing damages and flooding incurred by the formidable Hurricane Sandy during its landfall Monday evening into its departure Tuesday morning.

Sandy dumped 7.5 to 9 inches of rain in Kent County, including 8.47 inches at Dover Air Force Base, in a span of 36 hours, while Sussex County saw a high of 10.2 inches in Georgetown and New Castle County saw a high of 8.33 inches in Delaney Corner near Blackbird State Forest, according to unofficial tallies posted by the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, N.J. shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The National Weather Service also recorded wind gusts greater than 50 miles per hour throughout the state.

But, the state of Delaware was spared the full wrath of Hurricane Sandy, which was much harder on the New Jersey coast and New York City, among others, according to national reports.

A clearer picture of local damage would begin to emerge once city and county crews had some time to assess the area, local officials said.

Dover Public Information and Emergency Management Coordinator Kay Dietz-Sass said damage assessment teams were being put together in order to start assessing damages to personal and commercial property.

"We had some localized flooding of streets, a few submerged vehicles that were abandoned and some trees down," Dietz-Sass said Tuesday. "This was through the night. So, now with daybreak we will get a better idea with our teams coming in.

"Our call line is open and we ask that all property damage and trees down, et cetera, be reported," she said. "This information will be used for establishing our overall damages in the city."

She also noted that the Dover Electric Utility was successful "at keeping our lights on again." Only a few residences lost power, and crews began working to restore power once the high winds subsided.

Kent County Levy Court also began assessing damage on Tuesday, with county officials stressing the need for people to report damage and flooding.

Kent County Department of Public Safety Director Colin Faulkner encouraged all residents who encountered damage due to Hurricane Sandy to place a claim by calling the Damage Assessment Center at (302) 735-3465.

But, in all, Kent County, Administrator Mike Petit de Mange was happy with how well the County Emergency Operations Center managed emergency response efforts, which began Sunday afternoon.

"We are extremely pleased and appreciative of the great work from our first responder community and emergency planners," he said. "A special word of thanks goes out to members of the Delaware National Guard who have deployed resources and personnel to provide essential support to these efforts."

The Delaware National Guard deployed about 300 support personnel throughout

Most Delaware State Parks to reopen Wednesday, Oct. 31

Day use areas at most Delaware State Parks will reopen at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31 for normal operations. Exceptions are the Brandywine Zoo, Cape Henlopen State Park and Delaware Seashore State Park, all of which remain closed for cleanup and assessment of Hurricane Sandy's impact until further notice.

Campsites, cabins and yurts at Lums Pond and Trap Pond State Parks will reopen for normal operations on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Killens Pond State Park campsites and cabins will reopen on Thursday, Nov. 1. Campsites, cabins and cottages at Delaware Seashore and Cape Henlopen State Parks remain closed and will reopen as soon as is feasible.

Delaware for Hurricane Sandy, said Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, adjutant general of the Delaware National Guard. In Kent and Sussex counties, each Emergency Operation Centers had six Humvees and six FMTVs (Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles) on hand. And there were also vehicles and soldiers at firehouses in Little Creek, Milford, Smyrna, Frederica and Marydel, among other places in the state, Vavala said.

By Tuesday, Kent County's coordination with the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), the National Guard, the American Red Cross, fire departments, the Civil Air Patrol and the Delaware Department of Public Health and Social Services was being scaled back, Kent County Public Information Officer Kia Evans said.

In addition, the county still faced some power outages that Delmarva Power and the Delaware Electric Cooperative were addressing, Evans said.

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